Biden staff meeting with cancer experts in 'moon shot' push

Vice President Biden is moving forward with his “moon shot” to cure cancer with a staff-level meeting on Friday with more than a dozen top cancer researchers.

Members of Biden's office will sit down Friday with 15 members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), some of the most prestigious medical experts in the world.

Those experts plan to “highlight the considerable progress in cancer research” and its role in promising research areas like precision medicine and immunotherapy, according to a release from the group.

Biden, who lost his oldest son to brain cancer in May, has made curing cancer a personal fight over the last year. In his speech announcing his decision not to run for president in October, Biden said he would be able to spend more time on a “moon shot in this country to cure cancer.”

Already, Biden has made good on his promise to boost the government’s commitment to cancer research.

Biden and his staff have participated in dozens of meetings in recent months to learn about "the current state of cancer research and treatment, and potential opportunities to advance the pace of progress in the fight against cancer," his office said in a statement Friday.

"He is using his ability to convene to bring together components of the cancer community, and sees great promise in genomics, immunotherapy, and combined therapies," the statement said.

The former senator personally lobbied for a multi-million increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health that was included as part of the most recent proposal from Congress.